Daniel Borowy, teen injured in Perry Hall shooting, heads home

BALTIMORE (AP) - A 17-year-old student shot on the first day of school in Baltimore County headed home Monday after two weeks in the hospital with firm plans to play with his dog and make tacos.

Daniel Borowy, who has Down syndrome, was patient with the staff at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center, but told his mother from the beginning that he wanted to leave immediately. He got his wish Monday evening, as his father, mother, brothers and sister came to take him to their house in Kingsville.

"Isn't it nice to have a story with a happy ending?" said his father, Milton.

Asked what he planned to do first at home, Borowy said, "Luna." That's his dog, a year-old black Labrador/German Shepard mix. Borowy, who loves to cook, said the first dish he would make was tacos. He also planned to watch the Baltimore Ravens play the Cincinnati Bengals that evening on Monday Night Football.

There will also no doubt be dancing to Daniel's idol and would-be-fiancee, Lady Gaga - he demonstrated a few hand moves to his favorite song, "Poker Face," and donned a mirrored Gaga eye mask while he waited to be discharged.

His voice had a slight rasp, a result of needing a breathing tube when he first arrived Aug. 27 from the shooting in the cafeteria at Perry Hall High School. He had a bruised lung and a fractured rib, among other injuries. Daniel underwent several surgeries and will return to Shock Trauma for follow-up care. Nurses and therapists will also visit him at home for treatment and rehabilitation.

Milton and Rosemary have been impressed but not surprised by their youngest son's tolerance for everything that's happened to him, from physical pain to dealing with so many new faces to the monotony of hospital food.

"He's a fighter and he's been fighting from the minute he was hurt," Rosemary Borowy told The Associated Press.

Daniel Borowy also said he'd like to go back to school, although his parents say they haven't looked that far ahead.

They were overflowing with thanks for the care and prayers their son has received.

Milton Borowy asked people to respect his family's privacy so his son can recover at home in peace.

Police have said Daniel Borowy was struck at random when Robert W. Gladden Jr., 15, fired a shotgun twice in the school cafeteria; the second shot didn't strike anyone. Gladden's attorney says his client brought the gun to school to intimidate bullies and that Gladden didn't mean to shoot anyone. Gladden, who is charged as an adult with attempted murder and assault, is scheduled for a bail review Thursday.

Borowy's parents don't want to talk about the legal case, but Rosemary Borowy said her innocent son's life has been changed forever.

"If someone has a problem or an issue, you have to think before you act," she said.